concept

Designer Jolene Carlier believes that people have been denied the pleasure of witnessing their popcorn pop for far too long, and decided to reimagine the process with a new device that is aptly named “The Popcorn Monsoon”.

The machine uses hot air to create a whirlwind of popcorn that looks similar to the aerial dance performed by lotto balls before they hand you a steaming bowl of disappointment. However, in this case you get an enjoyable performance and a snack.

Unfortunately, the Popcorn Monsoon is only a concept at this point, but you can still see it in action by checking out the video after the jump.

Energy drinks aren’t for me. They taste like bantha poodoo and give me heart palpitations. However, if Red Bull launched a series of cans that looked like these superhero designs, I might change my tune. Art director Diego Fonseca came up with the concept art. He’s taken characters from DC Comics’ Justice League universe and put their uniforms on Red Bull cans. The sleek and geeky designs would make fantastic collectibles that would undoubtedly prove popular. Take note, beverage makers!

…as long as its minor. The cup is designed to catch drips as they run down the mug, preventing them from creating yet another ring on your furniture.

Capitalizing on the physics of surface tension, a thin groove keeps small, nuisance droplets in place so there’s no need to worry about coffee stains. So simple, it makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it first!

Unfortunately, this only seems to be a concept at this point, so you will have to find another way to avoid being a slob.

Although the title suggests some sort of weapon you could use to fling teabags at the members of your bridge club while they hold up doilies in defense, you’ll be disappointed to know that this concept design is actually a teacup with a groove built into the handle to prevent the tea bag from falling into the cup. The groove also serves to pull the bag against the edge of the cup slingshot style to squeeze liquid out of the bag.

There is an almost total lack of details about this energy drink concept by Jackie Gendloff, with the exception of this simple product description:

This line of collector’s item energy drinks is for gamers brings the video game Mario to life. With the tagline, “giving you the energy to level up,” the flavor, Star, gives the audience a feeling of ‘1 up.’ Power, the high-energy blend, gives an extra boost. The action-packed organic blend of Health is for those who need energy but more wholesome.

Check out the additional pics after the jump, and let the curiosity begin.

Unlike your smartphone or the Weather Channel, Nathan Brunstein’s Jamy toaster uses a Wi-Fi connection to create an edible forecast emblazoned on a slice of bread. The device is just a concept at this point, but it will likely result in a whole new medium for the distribution of top secret messages. The only down side is that the familiar self destruct message would have to be replaced with the phrase “eat me”.

This concept vending machine created by a partnership between Sanden, Okaya Electronics, and Intel offers customers more than just junk food – using a 65 inch touchscreen, transparent HD display, the machine presents a series of animations and menus in order to get the attention of those passing by. It can be used to tell the time, and even features a public safety mode that provides information in emergency situations, such as evacuation routes.

The machine also records the physical attributes of the person standing in front of the machine, in order to tailor ads to that particular demographic. The company developing the machine sees huge potential for such technology, and is looking for new and interesting ideas that will allow the device to act as more than just a way to peddle crap.

This ingenious stem food sprayer pushes directly into citrus fruit and allows you to easily spray the juices while preparing food. Currently the device is only a concept, although Quirky is interested manufacturing the product in the near future.

The “Roastie” by Polish designer Mateusz Glówka is a circular toaster which features rotating heat elements which toast bread evenly, rather than leaving the uneven toast marks currently found with today’s devices. The Roastie is also reported to toast your bread in a shorter time than most conventional toasters while also providing a transparent sphere which not only shields the user from high temperatures, but also allows for constant supervising of toasting progress. The design is only a concept at this point, but hopefully it will be on the market soon.